The rantings of a teacher who retired from the classroom but not from education.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Teacher ADD

I really think I have ADD. I'm in the middle of marking test papers. The couch is cluttered with geometry and calculus exams. The floor is also covered with papers. My lesson for tomorrow's geometry class is also somewhere in that mess and I still have to decide what I want to do in calculus. Here I am, taking pictures, downloading pictures and writing this meaningless dribble.

I have papers to mark, lessons to write and I walk the halls of the school. I use any excuse to wander around and not sit still. This is the reason my house is in the condition above.

12 comments:

Wow, I have that problem, too. I think I have ADD. During my free period, I almost never get things done. I'll either be walking around outside enjoying the weather, or, well, anything else really other than what I should be doing. I end up doing all my grading and planning between the hours of 8 pm-2 am.

The worst is when a student raises their hand to ask a question. I look straight at them as they ask it, then I have to respond, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

I can TOTALLY relate. I am a big Sunday-afternoon-type person myself with planning and grading. I can plan during my free periods, but it's very hard to grade because there are so many distractions. I sometimes stay after school and grade for an hour or two; that seems to work. But I do not grade in the evenings, and plan only if am in the direst of straits. I hate working on school nights.

Hasn't there been something recently in the press about kids suffering from "partial attention deficit"? One eye on phone, one eye on IM, one eye on computer screen etc. OK--that's too many eyes but you get my point.

Here's what happens to me---do paperwork on computer (yes I write those dreaded IEPS), realize I need test scores and go to test score site, see the name of another student and remember I wanted to email his mom about something, open Outlook and see other emails have some in, type email to parent, read another email, find info that person wants,that reminds me to send something to a teacher, go back to fill in paperwork, phone call, etc etc etc. I've gotten so overloaded that I make dozens of notes to self (or email myself from home school or school home)Forced ADD.

My husband sometimes says I have ADD, like talking about one topic and I reply with another :)

I do this when teaching too. I'm one of those teachers who likes to actually talk WITH her students, not at them. We get off track sometimes but at least they're communicating.

With grading I'm more like an organized ADD person :) When students turn in work it immediately goes into a file folder for that class labeled (to be graded). After scoring they go back in the folder and get transferred to the folders "to be returned".

If I try to grade at home I HAVE to sit at my desk or kitchen table or I'd be in a mess. English teachers have too much paper...if we're doing our jobs :)

Another thing is if I'm at home grading, there is a good chance I'm simultaneously tweeting, facebooking, blogging, emailing, SecondLifeing, IMing, AND watching the news and petting the cat. Working at school is far more productive :)